• Bhaskar V K S Lakkakula, Radharani Sahoo, Henu Verma, and Saikrishna Lakkakula.
• Sickle Cell Institute Chhattisgarh, Raipur, India. Electronic address: lvksbhaskar@gmail.com.
• Pain Manag Nurs. 2018 Dec 1; 19 (6): 558-572.

BackgroundVaso-occlusive pain crisis is one of the primary complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) and is responsible for the majority of hospital visits in patients with SCD. Stints of severe pain can last for hours to days and are difficult to treat and manage, often resulting in drastically reduced quality of life.PurposeOur purpose is to provide an overview of pain management issues in SCD populations.MethodsWe explored literature using PubMed and Embase for the etiology and management of pain in SCD. Databases were searched employing the following terms: sickle cell, pain pathways, pain perception, pharmacological therapies, psychological therapies, physical therapies and genetics.ResultsPain in SCD can vary from acute to chronic (persistent) or mixed and understanding of the underlying mechanisms is important for proper pain management. Currently, there are many means of managing pain in children with SCD, which involve pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. A combination of psychotherapy and pain medications can be used for treatment of pain and other psychosocial co-morbidities in complex persistent pain.ConclusionsProviding more appropriate medication and optimal dosage based on individual's genomic variations is the future of medicine, and this will allow the physicians to hone in on optimal pain management in patients with SCD.Copyright © 2018 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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